Jim Haslett's Creative Schemes Can't Protect Washington Redskins Defense

Jim Haslett is getting increasingly creative to try to protect a porous Washington Redskins defense. Specifically, Haslett is trying myriad ploys to compensate for a patchwork secondary and a pass rush that resembles a one-man band.

Haslett has gone from a scheme that was based on multiple blitz pressures in 2010 and 2011 to one based more on rush and coverage in 2012 and (especially) 2013. As neither has worked particularly well, and lacking the talent to make a specific formula work, Haslett is now simply trying to keep teams guessing.

So far this season, a typical Redskins defensive game plan is a bric-a-brac of ideas, concepts and plays stitched together. Injuries and poor options have forced Haslett's hand.

He is now tailoring his schemes toward protecting young cornerbacks David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland. The latter, a fourth-round pick this year, has been thrust into starting action while veteran DeAngelo Hall misses the season thanks to a torn Achilles' tendon.

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Like Amerson, Breeland has good physical tools, namely his towering frame and long arms. He also plays with a nasty disposition. But similar to Amerson, he remains extremely raw.

It's been interesting to see how Haslett has coped with this level of inexperience at the edges of his secondary. He tried out a few new ploys in Week 7's 19-17 home win over the Tennessee Titans.

The primary ploy was to pack the zones with covering defenders, rather than risk all-out pressure, in obvious passing situations. ESPN 980 reporter Chris Russell detailed the scheme:

"

#Redskins only rushed three and dropped eight and held up in coverage vs scrambling QB....Good point by @john_keim on Jeffcoat.

— Chris Russell (@Russellmania980) October 19, 2014"

This coverage-heavy approach marked a sharp departure from Haslett's traditional preference for sending the house on pass-first downs. It required a tweak to the team's long-yardage packages, one described by ESPN.com Redskins reporter John Keim:

Jackson Jeffcoat, an excellent pass-rusher at the collegiate level who surprisingly went undrafted, let Haslett show a four-man rush but still drop eight. As a leaner, more agile figure than thick-bodied, rookie rush end Trent Murphy, Jeffcoat let Haslett use an underneath robber for crossing patterns, something discussed in last week's game-plan article.

When Haslett wanted even more speed and flexibility, he put extra linebackers on the field. Haslett used 3-3-5 fronts with Keenan Robinson, Adam Hayward and Will Compton moving around behind pass-rushing trio Brian Orakpo, Jason Hatcher and Ryan Kerrigan.

Hayward was the one who hovered in and out of gaps, showing blitz before often bailing into coverage. This schematic wrinkle led to Breeland's second-quarter interception:

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Haslett was doing all he could to keep Titans passer Charlie Whitehurst guessing long enough to protect Breeland and Amerson on the outside. While he afforded the young duo the sanctity of depth, numbers and safety help in long-yardage situations, Haslett used pressure to force errant throws on quick-pass downs.

Russell described one successful pressure:

Meriweather's rush and hit on Whitehurst came on a 3rd-and-6 as part of a seven-man pressure. Haslett stacked two linebackers in the A-gaps either side of the center.

Meriweahter was then the late blitzer on a green dog after the initial wave of pressure:

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Although this play called for single coverage behind the blitz, Haslett had chosen the right down and distance to send additional rushers after Whitehurst. A 3rd-and-6 can be converted via a quick throw to receivers making fast, inside breaks off the line.

That puts young corners under pressure to try to quickly clamp on their receivers. This increases the risk of inexperienced players falling for double moves.

Haslett played it safe when the down and distance favored his defense, while increasing the pressure on the Titans when it didn't. That's a reasonable ploy for any defense, particularly one with young pros on the edges.

It's certainly a far cry from the all-out blitz on 3rd-and-21 that let the Dallas Cowboys snatch a win in Week 3 of the 2011 season.

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However, the problem with all this scheming is that it still couldn't prevent the Washington defense from getting burned through the air. Kendall Wright caught a 16-yard touchdown pass as part of a six-catch, 68-yard day.

Weak tackling helped Wright to score. But it was poor coverage that let Derek Hagan complete a 38-yard scoring grab in the fourth quarter that might have won the game for Tennessee.

Both plays revealed the harsh truth that all the scheming in the world can only mask a lack of talent for so long. Hagan beat E.J. Biggers for his score, while Wright ran through a tackle 35-year-old free safety Ryan Clark would've made five years ago.

Haslett, who certainly isn't above criticism for Washington's subpar defenses the last five seasons, can still only do so much with the hand he's been dealt.

What makes his task harder is that the problems aren't just confined to the secondary. The pass rush has been grossly inconsistent this season.

It's fair to say only outside 'backer Kerrigan can be proud of his efforts chasing down quarterbacks. The 2011 first-round pick is leading the team with 6.5 sacks. Sadly, the next closest is Jason Hatcher with three.

Teams are beginning to zero in on Kerrigan and nullify him. The burden of being the unit's primary pass-rush threat is also causing Kerrigan to play a little too aggressive at times.

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Over-pursuit has become a problem, most notably in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks' dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson. Kerrigan frequently failed to maintain his rush lanes to keep Wilson in the pocket.

Yet with nobody else consistently troubling quarterbacks, a few technical breakdowns can almost be excused, as long as Kerrigan gets to the passer. Actually, the general pressure was a little better against Tennessee than in recent weeks. Hatcher, in particular, was certainly more disruptive.

But the real problem with such an inconsistent rush is that it puts Haslett in a bind over how best to protect his secondary. He can't very well regularly drop numbers and trust four- and three-man pressure if that pressure isn't getting close.

But with experience on the edges of his secondary and aging legs in the middle of it, Haslett can't roll the dice too often with heavy blitz designs. It's a problem that affects the techniques players can use in coverage.

For instance, it would be good to see the Redskins play more press-man coverage. Amerson (6'1" and 205 pounds) and Breeland (5'11" and 197 pounds) are certainly big enough for such a scheme.

But single and physical coverage only works with the pressure up front to support it. That issue has become more pertinent after outside linebacker Brian Orakpo suffered a season-ending chest injury against the Titans.

The news was confirmed by NFL.com Media Insider Ian Rapoport:

Orakpo hadn't exactly been lighting it up this season. A tally of 0.5 on the sack charts proved that. But the player who registered 10 quarterback takedowns in 2013 was still a major threat who demanded attention from blocking schemes.

The onus now goes to Murphy, the team's second-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Head coach Jay Gruden has highlighted where Murphy needs to get better ahead of Week 8's meeting with bitter foe the Cowboys, per CSNWashington.com writer Rich Tandler:

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Trent’s got to move up, he’s got to step up his game. He’s got to play better, he’s got to play more physical at the point of attack. We’re playing against the No. 1 rushing offense in the National Football League. He’s going to have to be very good at the point of attack and then transition into pass rush against some very good tackles. He’s going to have his work cut out for him, he’s going to have to grow up very fast.

"

What Orakpo's injury and Murphy's subsequent ascension means is another inexperienced player at a key position for Haslett. That puts pressure on the coordinator to be increasingly creative with his schemes.

Fortunately, Murphy's versatility, honed during his days on Stanford's hybrid defensive front, lends itself to a multiple scheme. ESPN.com Redskins reporter John Keim noted the value of Murphy's flexibility shortly after he was drafted:

"

Lined up all over: as an end on either side in a three- or four-point stance; as a standup linebacker on either side. Disciplined rusher; did not see him lose his gap or freelance. Didn’t see him fooled; saw him locate the ball well.

...

Showed good movement in coverage; the Redskins say he’s a fluid athlete and I would agree. Doesn’t mean he’s a great athlete, but he moves well. Saw him drop in zone; saw him cover backs and tight ends one-on-one. Can’t say he’s great here, but he did move fine.

"

It will be fascinating to see what Murphy can do. Yet it's more likely Haslett will need clever use of a combination of players such as Murphy, Jeffcoat and Hayward to cover for Orakpo's loss.

Creativity is probably Haslett's best means of trying to make a defense lacking talent in key areas at least serviceable. It's already been a struggle, evidenced by a 24th ranking in points allowed.

It will likely continue to be a struggle. Haslett's multiple approach will only do so much.

His unit has feasted on poor offenses like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans this season. But the group has also been exposed by the Eagles, Giants and even the Arizona Cardinals.

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Certainly, the Redskins won't be playing offenses as self-destructive as the Titans every week. The schedule reveals return games against both Philly and New York as well as the Dallas double-header.

There's also the prospect of the Andrew Luck-led Indianapolis Colts to consider. It will take a minor coaching miracle to keep Washington's defense at a solid level against these teams.

Haslett had better have something good in store next week in time for the Cowboys and their balanced third-ranked offense.

All statistics via NFL.com.

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